


Names

by the_impatient_panda



Category: Broadchurch
Genre: Barely there romance, Close call, F/M, One Shot, names are important
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-21
Updated: 2020-07-21
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:22:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25415362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_impatient_panda/pseuds/the_impatient_panda
Summary: Alec never uses her name, unless it's bad.The question is: how bad is it?This is actually fairly complete, and does not get a warning as a result. This is going no farther for me, though, so enjoy it as is!
Relationships: Alec Hardy/Ellie Miller
Comments: 2
Kudos: 71





	Names

It was the fact that he said her name that told her it was serious.

“Ellie,” he called again, voice far away. “Keep those eyes open, girlie! C’mon! Stay with me, Ellie, stay...”

Sounds faded in and out, and the light seemed very bright. Hands, now, and more voices. 

Medical blah blah blah...

“Sir, get out of the way-”

“Ellie!”

-90-

“Dad!”

The detective jerked to his feet as his daughter rounded the corner with Tom and Fred, glad for once that he’d allowed his daughter to get her license a few months ago.

“Hey,” he said, pasting a tight smile on his face. “She’s fine. You just missed the surgeon. They got her here in time, even though she’s going to be laid up for a while there’s nothing to worry about.”

“Boys!” Beth, hurrying down the corridor. “I came as soon as I heard-! Ellie?” To Alec.

“She’s going to be fine. I was just telling Tom and Fred.”

She hugs him impulsively, and he kind of tolerates it, then passes her off to Tom. 

“When can we see her?”

“I don’t know. Hopefully, they’ll tell us soon.”

They settle in to wait. Lizzie is with Chloe, and Beth stays with the boys. The hours drag by. Fred is restless, so he and Daisy go for walk after walk. 

“What happened?” Beth, quietly.

“Foot chase,” Alec replied quietly. “Couple of grifters involved with an armed robbery. We spotted them, they took off. Split at a fork. I went after the man, she took the girl. Thought that’d be safer. Figured he was the one with the weapon.”

“He wasn’t.”

“No. Backup got there, penned him in. Miller called in saying she was hurt. I got to her just before the paramedics arrived.” Shaking his head. “I should have been faster.”

“You couldn’t know...”

“Yeah well....I still should have been.”

They’re finally taken to Ellie.

She’s still asleep, in her hospital bed pale as a ghost and with lines running everywhere. The doctor tells them she should wake up soon. She’ll have to stay at least a few nights, while things heal up. 

When Ellie opened her eyes, she saw Hardy sitting at the foot of her bed, and muttered, “I told you so.”

“Really, Miller?” he replied testily. “You almost die, and that’s what you’re going to lead with?”

“Mum?”

She shifts to the boys. “Tom! Fred!” Hugs, hugs, hugs. “Easy, boys. I’ll be alright, but you’re going to have to go easy on me for awhile.”

Alec stays with her in the hospital that night. Beth takes the boys. Daisy brings them both some things from their respective homes. 

When Ellie goes home, Alec takes her. Beth and Daisy do most of the day-to-day work, with Chloe pitching in. Its summer, so they’re all home from Uni. Alec still comes by every day, and cooks most nights. The girls take the piss out of him for it, but he’s a pretty good cook so no one really minds. 

One evening, Ellie toddles herself out to the back porch. He follows with a cup of tea. They sit quietly together. 

“Well, that’s what it took, eh?”

“What what took?”

“For you to say my first name. Just being stabbed. Nothing too major.”

“Oh, for...” Shaking his head. “I can’t have you dying on me, Miller, apparently no one else wants to work with the shitface.”

“Can’t say I blame them.” Grinning.

“I just thought...maybe...it would help.”

“It scared me.”

“Why?”

“Because there’s only one other time you’ve ever tried to call me by my name.” They both remember. “So if you were doing it again...it had to be bad.”

“It was bad.” Quietly. Looking away. “All I could think about was...what am I going to tell Tom? And Fred? I’d already cost them one parent...”

“You didn’t cost them anything.”

“I still arrested him. Uncovered the truth. I didn’t know how I was going to look them in the eye and say I’d let their mum die.”

“The job has its risks, Alec. We all know that.”

“Have you ever thought...maybe...that you should find another job?”

She looks at him for a long, long minute. “Do you really want me to answer that?”

“You’re a hell of a detective, Miller. We make a good team. Doesn’t change the fact that your boys almost lost their only parent.”

“Hardy, I will kick your arse if you don’t stop with this nonsense, alright? I’m a detective, it's what I do, and I don’t want to do anything else. Tom and Fred understand that, now more than ever.”

“...alright, then.”

He’s around a lot as she heals, and Daisy too. Her first day back, things all into an easy groove. Someone makes fun of the fact that he stopped making two slices of toast every morning, because there wasn’t anyone around to steal the second one. He walks by with two, she nabs it.

“Oi!”

“Good morning to you too.” Primly. 

And life goes on.


End file.
